Earth orbit is growing more congested, with over 11,000 active satellites and more on the way, plus more than 1.2 million debris fragments larger than 1 cm. This rising population makes collision risks a daily operational challenge. ESA is developing automation to help satellite operators respond faster and more effectively.

Central to this is the Collision Risk Estimation and Automated Mitigation (CREAM) project, part of ESA's Space Safety Programme. CREAM aims to cut operator workload, reduce false alerts, speed up avoidance measures and improve overall mission safety.

Launched in 2020, CREAM has entered a key stage involving ground system tests and in-orbit demonstration planning. Its vision is to automate much of the manual work in collision avoidance, from assessing conjunctions to

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